Sheep and Goat Production

Sheep and Goat Production

Discussing current topics in Ontario sheep and goat production

All posts in Business

20th Annual Southwest Crop Diagnostic Day

Posted on Author ONswinePosted in Announcements, BusinessLeave a Reply

 July 9 and 10, 2014. The diagnostic day is designed specifically to improve the problem solving skills of seed, fertilizer and chemical industry personnel and agricultural consultants. The Diagnostic Day is an annual event that highlights current topics of interest. The goal of the day is to provide quality, state-of-the-art training in all aspects of crop production and management. Registration information and topics planned can be found in the brochure or on the Diagnostic Day website.

Sheep Reproduction Basics and Conception Rates

Posted on Author ONswinePosted in Business, ReproductionLeave a Reply

To run a profitable sheep operation, producers must understand the details of many different disciplines and how they interrelate. One of the basic aspects of a sheep farming operation is to make sure that ewes become pregnant and have lambs. It is important to understand the basic physiology of the reproductive cycle to ensure that management decisions do not prevent ewes from becoming pregnant. Conception rate varies between season, age, breed and lambing system. Understanding the effect of these factors will enable you to determine what a good conception rate is for your farm. Read more in the OMAFRA factsheet Sheep Reproduction Basics and Conception Rates.

Lamb Price April 2014

Posted on Author Delma KennedyPosted in Announcements, BusinessLeave a Reply

Lamb prices have continued to recover in 2014.  The monthly average price graphs have been updated for lambs <79pounds, 80-94pounds, 95-109pounds and 110+ pounds.  As shown in Figure 1, the monthly average price for 80 -94 lb lambs has been much higher in the first three months of 2014 than 2013.  In this early part of the year price seems to be following a similar pattern to average price in 2010.  A similar trend can be seen in each of the price graphs in Figures 1 – 4. Figure 1   5 Year Average Market Price by Month 80 – 94 lb Lambs   In November and December of 2013, prices decreased for the heavier lamb categories after the high…

Read

2013 Canadian and Ontario Abattoir Statistics

Posted on Author Delma KennedyPosted in Announcements, BusinessLeave a Reply

Canadian sheep and lamb slaughter increased by 9% between 2012 and 2013.  The Canadian slaughter graph, figure 1 below, illustrates that most lamb is slaughtered in provincial packing facilities and that the increase in slaughter was spread throughout the year.  Slaughter in federal packing facilities increased by 5% and slaughter in provincial packing facilities increased by 11% in 2013. Figure 1. In Ontario, sheep and lamb slaughter increased by 15% in 2013 compared to 2012.  As illustrated in the Ontario slaughter graph, figure 2 below, the Ontario statistics follow the same trends as the Canadian statistics with most lamb being slaughtered in provincially inspected facilities.  In Ontario, the provincial packing plant slaughter increased by 14.7% and the federal packing plant…

Read

Growing Forward 2 Funding Assistance Program for Producers, Organizations and Collaborations

Posted on Author ONswinePosted in BusinessLeave a Reply

Growing Forward 2 (GF2) is a federal-provincial-territorial program aimed at encouraging innovation, competitiveness and market development in Canada’s agri-food and agri-products sector. In Ontario, farm, food and bioproduct businesses, collaborations and organizations can build their own plan and select opportunities to help grow their profits, expand their markets and manage risks Important Dates: Capacity Building Funding Assistance – ongoing intake from all eligible clients Implementation Funding Assistance intakes for producers •    December 16, 2013 to January 30, 2014 •    April 1, 2014 to May 1, 2014 •    August 4, 2014 to August 28, 2014 •    November 10, 2014 to December 11, 2014 Implementation Funding Assistance intakes for processors •    December 16, 2013 to January 30, 2014 •    February 3, 2014…

Read

A Crop and Business Showcase: Exploring Programs and Opportunities

Posted on Author ONswinePosted in BusinessLeave a Reply

  Brought to you by OMAF and MRA Would you like to learn more about programs and resources in agricultural business, risk management, and innovation, including Growing Forward 2?  Are you interested in exploring the potential and pitfalls of various crop alternatives for your farm? •    Sure you can grow these things, but is there a market and do you want to be in it? Are you looking for alternative crop opportunities to diversify your operation? Talk to the specialists with expertise in specialty crops, vegetables, fruit, tree nuts, industrial crops, irrigation, and more. •    What programs are you eligible for and how do you access them? Is there support under Growing Forward 2 to help area farm businesses with…

Read

Lamb Price November 2013

Posted on Author Delma KennedyPosted in Announcements, BusinessLeave a Reply

Lamb prices have decreased to September levels after the increase for the Eid ul-Adha holiday in October.  The monthly average price graphs have been updated as of November 19, 2013 for lambs <79 pounds, 80-94 pounds, 95-109 pounds and 110+ pounds.  As shown in the  80 -94 pound lamb graph below, price is higher in 2013 than 2012 but seems to be following a similar trend. 5 Year Average Market Price by Month 80 – 94 lb Lambs In 2012, prices continued to drop for heavy lambs during the month of December.  The < 79 pound graph below shows an increase in price in December 2012.  This is the only weight category that saw an increase in December last year,…

Read

Growing Forward 2 has Opportunities to Grow Your Business

Posted on Author ONswinePosted in BusinessLeave a Reply

 Growing Forward 2 offers: Workshops and assessments to gain knowledge and develop Action Plans at no cost. Funding assistance to build capacity (e.g. skills and training, planning and assessment) and to implement projects.  Intake 1 is over but Intake 2 will begin in December.  Choose what you need to grow your business and start today. Enrol: ontario.ca/growingforward2 Call: 1-877-424-1300

Ontario Lamb Prices Improving

Posted on Author Delma KennedyPosted in BusinessLeave a Reply

Lamb prices started to improve in July 2013.  After 12 months of poor prices, lamb prices are now on par with prices received in 2009 and 2010 for this time of year.    As illustrated by the 80 -94 pound price graph below, the price dropped to a 5 year low in June, but has rebounded in July and August.                    5 Year Average Market Price by Month 80 – 94 lb Lambs   The 5 year average price by month is illustrated for the below 79 lb, 95-109lb and 110lb+ lambs in the graphs below.   All categories of lambs except for 110lb+ reached a 5 year price low in June.  In the…

Read

New Management Modules From Alberta Lamb Producers

Posted on Author Delma KennedyPosted in Announcements, Business, Health & NutritionLeave a Reply

Alberta Lamb Producers have added 3 more modules to their management modules. The new modules are: Shepherding 101 – Getting Started, An Introduction to Managed Grazing, and Setting it Up: Sheep Infrastructure.  The Sheep Infrastructure module was inspired by and significantly drew upon the Ontario Sheep Infrastructure Workshop designed by Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food and Ministry of Rural Affairs staff that has been held in locations around the province over the past seven years. These modules can be downloaded from the Alberta Lamb Producers website.